Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Heraklion

For one person, living is cheaper in Heraklion: $1,609 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Heraklion

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Barcelona and in Heraklion actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,609 in Heraklion.

Barcelona $2,405
Heraklion $1,609

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $2,492 in Heraklion.

Barcelona $3,477
Heraklion $2,492

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $3,374 in Heraklion.

Barcelona $4,550
Heraklion $3,374

Living in Barcelona is roughly 49% more expensive than in Heraklion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Heraklion 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$13.02 €11.62

38.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$56.5 €50.4

19.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$10.03 €8.96

33.30%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$3.80 €3.39

-12.11%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.64

$2.43 €2.17

21.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.76 €0.68

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$5.62 €5.02

-30.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$5.48 €4.89

-16.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.79 €1.60

-29.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.47 €1.32

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.73 €2.43

-35.90%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$4.38 €3.91

11.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$15.75 €14.06

10.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$10.42 €9.30

-13.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$15.23 €13.59

32.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.23 €1.99

38.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.08 €1.86

-2.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.34 €1.20

94.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.76 €1.57

53.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.18 €1.05

82.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.22 €1.09

81.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.94 €0.84

63.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.71 €0.63

30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$5.12 €4.57

38.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$7.80 €6.96

-2.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.27 €2.03

-34.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$2.88 €2.57

-5.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.47 €1.31

100.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$67.0 €59.8

-61.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$4.51 €4.02

-30.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.13 €1.01

28.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$11.08 €9.89

208.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$2.24 €2.00

-20.09%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.7K €31.0K

$28.0K €25.0K

24.04%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.3K €27.0K

$24.0K €21.5K

26.01%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$181 €161

$195 €174

-7.38%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.56 €12.10

$30.21 €26.96

-55.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$37.66 €33.61

-6.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$49.93 €44.56

6.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$39.72 €35.44

-59.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$9.05 €8.07

25.64%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$939 €838

$410 €366

129.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$4,089 €3,649

304.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$89.0 €79.4

-0.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$42.78 €38.18

-7.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$82.6 €73.7

25.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$136 €122

-12.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$652 €582

160.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$505 €450

157.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$1,105 €986

133.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$1,005 €897

93.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$4,070 €3,632

83.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$2,799 €2,498

85.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$1,111 €992

106.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

4.44

-26.13%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Heraklion: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Heraklion

$505 31.5% 61.2% $796

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Heraklion

$295 18.4% 9.2% $30

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Heraklion

$232 14.5% 14.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Heraklion

$263 16.4% 14.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Heraklion

$158 9.8% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Heraklion

$68 4.2% 10.4% $7.9

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Heraklion

$83 5.2% 72.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $652 in Heraklion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 107% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $56.0 in Heraklion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $295 per month, with Heraklion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

17:05 5:05 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

140,730

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelona Heraklion 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Heraklion

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Barcelona vs Heraklion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Heraklion differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $1,609 including rent). Heraklion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 107% higher in Barcelona, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $652 in Heraklion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $410 in Heraklion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,609 in Heraklion versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Heraklion but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Heraklion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Heraklion are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Heraklion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.